Black vs. Ebony — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on May 30, 2024
Black is a general term for the darkest color, while Ebony is a deep black wood from certain tropical trees or the color resembling it.
Difference Between Black and Ebony
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Black and Ebony, while often used interchangeably to denote a deep, dark hue, have distinct definitions. Black is a color, representing the absence of light, and can be seen universally in various contexts. Ebony, on the other hand, is primarily known as a type of hard, dense black wood that originates from several species of trees, especially from the genus Diospyros.
Black is an adjective that can describe anything from the color of objects, moods, or even periods in history like the Black Plague. It's versatile and comprehensive. Ebony, besides its botanical reference, has also been used to describe a certain shade of black, particularly a rich, lustrous black, akin to the polished wood itself.
When one refers to something as black, it could be related to anything from clothes, animals, or the sky on a moonless night. Its application is wide-ranging. Ebony, in a color context, is more specific, alluding to a deep, intense black that has a certain sheen or depth, reminiscent of the wood's appearance.
In culture and literature, black can have various symbolic meanings, from mystery, power, to the unknown. Ebony, being more specific, usually directs one's thoughts either to the wood or the particular shade of black. When a poet mentions ebony eyes, it typically suggests a depth and richness in the gaze.
Comparison Chart
Definition
A color representing no light
A deep black wood or its color
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Use
Universal color descriptor
Specific to certain tropical trees and a shade of black
Depth
Can range in intensity
Always deep and rich in appearance
Symbolism
Can vary (e.g., mystery)
Typically refers to depth and richness
Application
Broad (e.g., black cat)
Narrower (e.g., ebony eyes)
Compare with Definitions
Black
The darkest color, resulting from the absence of light.
The room was pitch black without any lights.
Ebony
A type of dense black wood from tropical trees.
The grand piano was made of fine ebony.
Black
Marked by disaster or misfortune.
It was a black day for the company after the news broke.
Ebony
A very dark black color.
Her eyes were an intense shade of ebony.
Black
Of a dark color, hue, or complexion.
She wore a black dress to the event.
Ebony
Relating to the black keys on a musical instrument.
He danced his fingers over the ebony keys of the piano.
Black
Related to a racial group having dark skin.
Black culture has significantly influenced music and fashion.
Ebony
Pertaining to goods or items made from the ebony wood.
The intricate ebony chess set was a collector's dream.
Black
Indicating censure or disgrace.
His actions earned him a black mark in the community.
Ebony
Used in literary terms to describe something deep and rich in color.
Her ebony hair shone under the sunlight.
Black
A member of a dark-skinned people, especially one of African or Australian Aboriginal ancestry
They tend to identify strongly with other blacks
Ebony
Ebony is a dense black/brown hardwood, most commonly yielded by several species in the genus Diospyros, which also contains the persimmons. Ebony is dense enough to sink in water.
Black
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and gray.
Ebony
Heavy blackish or very dark brown timber from a mainly tropical tree.
Black
Of the very darkest colour owing to the absence of or complete absorption of light; the opposite of white
Her long black hair
Black smoke
Ebony
A tree of tropical and warm-temperate regions which produces ebony.
Black
Belonging to or denoting any human group having dark-coloured skin, especially of African or Australian Aboriginal ancestry
Black adolescents of Jamaican descent
Ebony
Any of various tropical Asian or African trees of the genus Diospyros.
Black
Characterized by tragic or disastrous events; causing despair or pessimism
The future looks black
Five thousand men were killed on the blackest day of the war
Ebony
The wood of such a tree, especially the hard black heartwood of D. ebenum or certain other species, used in cabinetwork and inlaying and for piano keys.
Black
Denoting a covert military procedure
Clearance for black operations came from the highest political level
Ebony
The hard dark wood of various other trees.
Black
(of goods or work) not to be handled or undertaken by trade union members, especially so as to express support for an industrial dispute elsewhere
The union declared the ship black
Ebony
The color black; ebon.
Black
Black colour or pigment
A tray decorated in black and green
Ebony
Made of or suggesting ebony.
Black
The situation of not owing money to a bank or of making a profit in a business operation
It is hoped the club will be back in the black by the end of the season
An insurance company operating in the black will be able to pay for further growth
I managed to break even in the first six months—quite a short time for a small business to get into the black
Ebony
Black in color.
Black
Blackcurrant cordial
A rum and black
Ebony
(uncountable) A hard, dense, deep black wood from various subtropical and tropical trees, especially of the genus Diospyros.
Black
Make (something) black, especially with polish
The steps of the house were neatly blacked
Ebony
(countable) A tree that yields such wood.
Black
Refuse to handle (goods), undertake (work), or have dealings with (a person or business) as a way of taking industrial action
The union blacked the film because overtime was not being paid
Ebony
A deep, dark black colour.
Black
Being of the color black, producing or reflecting comparatively little light and having no predominant hue.
Ebony
A black key on a piano or other keyboard instrument.
Black
Having little or no light
A black, moonless night.
Ebony
Made of ebony wood.
Black
Of or belonging to a racial group having brown to black skin, especially one of African origin
The black population of South Africa.
Ebony
A deep, dark black colour.
Black
Of or belonging to an American ethnic group descended from African peoples having dark skin; African American.
Ebony
Dark-skinned; black; especially in reference to African-Americans.
Black
Very dark in color
Rich black soil.
Black, wavy hair.
Ebony
A hard, heavy, and durable wood, which admits of a fine polish or gloss. The usual color is black, but it also occurs red or green.
Black
Being a trail, as for skiing, marked with a sign having a black diamond, indicating a high level of difficulty.
Ebony
Made of ebony, or resembling ebony; black; as, an ebony countenance.
This ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling.
Black
Soiled, as from soot; dirty
Feet black from playing outdoors.
Ebony
A very dark black
Black
Evil; wicked
The pirates' black deeds.
Ebony
Hard dark-colored heartwood of the ebony tree; used in cabinetwork and for piano keys
Black
Cheerless and depressing; gloomy
Black thoughts.
Ebony
Tropical tree of southern Asia having hard dark-colored heartwood used in cabinetwork
Black
Being or characterized by morbid or grimly satiric humor
A black comedy.
Ebony
Very dark black
Black
Marked by anger or sullenness
Gave me a black look.
Black
Attended with disaster; calamitous
A black day.
The stock market crash on Black Friday.
Black
Deserving of, indicating, or incurring censure or dishonor
“Man ... has written one of his blackest records as a destroyer on the oceanic islands” (Rachel Carson).
Black
Wearing clothing of the darkest visual hue
The black knight.
Black
Served without milk or cream
Black coffee.
Black
Appearing to emanate from a source other than the actual point of origin. Used chiefly of intelligence operations
Black propaganda.
Black radio transmissions.
Black
Disclosed, for reasons of security, only to an extremely limited number of authorized persons; very highly classified
Black programs in the Defense Department.
The Pentagon's black budget.
Black
Chiefly British Boycotted as part of a labor union action.
Black
The achromatic color value of minimum lightness or maximum darkness; the color of objects that absorb nearly all light of all visible wavelengths; one extreme of the neutral gray series, the opposite being white. Although strictly a response to zero stimulation of the retina, the perception of black appears to depend on contrast with surrounding color stimuli.
Black
A pigment or dye having this color value.
Black
Complete or almost complete absence of light; darkness.
Black
Clothing of the darkest hue, especially such clothing worn for mourning.
Black
A member of a racial group having brown to black skin, especially one of African origin.
Black
An American descended from peoples of African origin having brown to black skin; an African American.
Black
Something that is colored black.
Black
The black-colored pieces, as in chess or checkers.
Black
The player using these pieces.
Black
The condition of making or operating at a profit
Worked hard to get the business back into the black.
Black
To make black
Blacked their faces with charcoal.
Black
To apply blacking to
Blacked the stove.
Black
Chiefly British To boycott as part of a labor union action.
Black
To become black.
Black
(of an object) Absorbing all light and reflecting none; dark and hueless.
Black
(of a place, etc) Without light.
Black
(sometimes capitalized) Belonging to or descended from any of various (African, Aboriginal, etc) ethnic groups which typically have dark pigmentation of the skin. See usage notes below.
Black
(US) Belonging to or descended from any of various sub-Saharan African ethnic groups which typically have dark pigmentation of the skin.
Black
Designated for use by those ethnic groups (as described above).
Black drinking fountain; black hospital
Black
Of the spades or clubs suits. Compare of the hearts or diamonds suit
I was dealt two red queens, and he got one of the black queens.
Black
Bad; evil; ill-omened.
Black
Expressing menace, or discontent; threatening; sullen.
He shot her a black look.
Black
(of objects, markets, etc) Illegitimate, illegal or disgraced.
Black
Foul; dirty, soiled.
Black
Overcrowded.
Black
(of coffee or tea) Without any cream, milk, or creamer.
Jim drinks his coffee black, but Ellen prefers it with creamer.
Black
Of or relating to the playing pieces of a board game deemed to belong to the "black" set (in chess the set used by the player who moves second) often regardless of the pieces' actual colour.
The black pieces in this chess set are made of dark blue glass.
Black
(politics) Anarchist; of or pertaining to anarchism.
Black
(typography) Said of a symbol or character that is solid, filled with color. Compare said of a character or symbol outline, not filled with color.
Black
(politics) Related to the Christian Democratic Union of Germany.
After the election, the parties united in a black-yellow alliance.
Black
Clandestine; relating to a political, military, or espionage operation or site, the existence or details of which is withheld from the general public.
5 percent of the Defense Department funding will go to black projects.
Black operations/black ops, black room, black site
Black
Occult; relating to something (such as mystical or magical knowledge) which is unknown to or kept secret from the general public.
Black
Protestant, often with the implication of being militantly pro-British or anti-Catholic. 1=Compare blackmouth ("Presbyterian").
The Royal Black Institution
Black
Having one or more features (hair, fur, armour, clothes, bark, etc) that is dark (or black); in taxonomy, especially: dark in comparison to another species with the same base name.
Black birch, black locust, black rhino
The black knight, black bile
Black
The colour/color perceived in the absence of light, but also when no light is reflected, but rather absorbed.
Black
A black dye or pigment.
Black
(countable) A pen, pencil, crayon, etc., made of black pigment.
Black
(in the plural) Black cloth hung up at funerals.
Black
A member of descendant of any of various (African, Aboriginal, etc) ethnic groups which typically have dark pigmentation of the skin. See usage notes.
Black
(informal) Blackness, the condition of belonging to or being descended from one of these ethnic groups.
Black don't crack
Black
The black ball.
Black
The edge of home plate.
Black
A type of firecracker that is really more dark brown in colour.
Black
, especially as syrup or crème de cassis used for cocktails.
Pernod and black... snakebite and black... cider and black...
Black
The person playing with the black set of pieces.
At this point black makes a disastrous move.
Black
(countable) Something, or a part of a thing, which is black.
Black
A stain; a spot.
Black
A dark smut fungus, harmful to wheat.
Black
Marijuana.
Black
(transitive) To make black; to blacken.
Black
(transitive) To apply blacking to (something).
Black
To boycott, usually as part of an industrial dispute.
Black
(pornography) of a white woman To be fucked by a black man.
Black
Destitute of light, or incapable of reflecting it; of the color of soot or coal; of the darkest or a very dark color, the opposite of white; characterized by such a color; as, black cloth; black hair or eyes.
O night, with hue so black!
Black
In a less literal sense: Enveloped or shrouded in darkness; very dark or gloomy; as, a black night; the heavens black with clouds.
I spy a black, suspicious, threatening cloud.
Black
Fig.: Dismal, gloomy, or forbidding, like darkness; destitute of moral light or goodness; atrociously wicked; cruel; mournful; calamitous; horrible.
Black
Expressing menace, or discontent; threatening; sullen; foreboding; as, to regard one with black looks.
Black
Sullenly; threateningly; maliciously; so as to produce blackness.
Black
That which is destitute of light or whiteness; the darkest color, or rather a destitution of all color; as, a cloth has a good black.
Black is the badge of hell,The hue of dungeons, and the suit of night.
Black
A black pigment or dye.
Black
A negro; a person whose skin is of a black color, or shaded with black; esp. a member or descendant of certain African races.
Black
A black garment or dress; as, she wears black
Friends weeping, and blacks, and obsequies, and the like show death terrible.
That was the full time they used to wear blacks for the death of their fathers.
Black
The part of a thing which is distinguished from the rest by being black.
The black or sight of the eye.
Black
A stain; a spot; a smooch.
Defiling her white lawn of chastity with ugly blacks of lust.
Black
To make black; to blacken; to soil; to sully.
They have their teeth blacked, both men and women, for they say a dog hath his teeth white, therefore they will black theirs.
Sins which black thy soul.
Black
To make black and shining, as boots or a stove, by applying blacking and then polishing with a brush.
Black
The quality or state of the achromatic color of least lightness (bearing the least resemblance to white)
Black
Total absence of light;
They fumbled around in total darkness
In the black of night
Black
British chemist who identified carbon dioxide and who formulated the concepts of specific heat and latent heat (1728-1799)
Black
Popular child actress of the 1930's (born 1927)
Black
A person with dark skin who comes from Africa (or whose ancestors came from Africa)
Black
(board games) the darker pieces
Black
Black clothing (worn as a sign of mourning);
The widow wore black
Black
Make or become black;
The smoke blackened the ceiling
The ceiling blackened
Black
Being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light;
Black leather jackets
As black as coal
Rich black soil
Black
Of or belonging to a racial group having dark skin especially of sub-Saharan African origin;
A great people--a black people--...injected new meaning and dignity into the veins of civilization
Black
Marked by anger or resentment or hostility;
Black looks
Black words
Black
Stemming from evil characteristics or forces; wicked or dishonorable;
Black deeds
A black lie
His black heart has concocted yet another black deed
Darth Vader of the dark side
A dark purpose
Dark undercurrents of ethnic hostility
The scheme of some sinister intelligence bent on punishing him
Black
Offering little or no hope;
The future looked black
Prospects were bleak
Life in the Aran Islands has always been bleak and difficult
Took a dim view of things
Black
(of events) having extremely unfortunate or dire consequences; bringing ruin;
The stock market crashed on Black Friday
A calamitous defeat
The battle was a disastrous end to a disastrous campaign
Such doctrines, if true, would be absolutely fatal to my theory
It is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it
A fateful error
Black
(of the face) made black especially as with suffused blood;
A face black with fury
Black
Extremely dark;
A black moonless night
Through the pitch-black woods
It was pitch-dark in the celler
Black
Harshly ironic or sinister;
Black humor
A grim joke
Grim laughter
Fun ranging from slapstick clowning ... to savage mordant wit
Black
(of intelligence operations) deliberately misleading;
Black propaganda
Black
Distributed or sold illicitly;
The black economy pays no taxes
Black
(used of conduct or character) deserving or bringing disgrace or shame;
Man...has written one of his blackest records as a destroyer on the oceanic islands
An ignominious retreat
Inglorious defeat
An opprobrious monument to human greed
A shameful display of cowardice
Black
(of coffee) without cream or sugar
Black
Dressed in black;
A black knight
Black friars
Black
Soiled with dirt or soot;
With feet black from playing outdoors
His shirt was black within an hour
Common Curiosities
Does ebony have meanings beyond wood or color?
In most contexts, "ebony" refers to the wood or the color, but it can also describe the black keys on musical instruments.
Is ebony a type of black?
Yes, ebony refers to a deep, lustrous black, often resembling the wood.
Can "ebony" refer to other woods that aren't black?
Typically, "ebony" refers to very dark woods, although not all are purely black.
What's the primary distinction between black and ebony?
"Black" is a general color term, while "ebony" primarily refers to a type of wood or a specific deep black hue.
Can "black" and "ebony" be used interchangeably?
While both can refer to a color, "ebony" is more specific, often alluding to the wood or a rich shade of black.
Are all ebony woods black?
Most are deep black, but some can have streaks of other colors.
How is "black" used in a symbolic sense?
Black can symbolize mystery, power, elegance, or the unknown, among other things.
Is "black" only related to color?
No, "black" can describe various things, including moods, periods in history, or racial identity.
How is the word "black" used in cultural contexts?
"Black" can refer to culture, history, and identity, especially in relation to Black communities.
Is "ebony" used in literature?
Yes, writers often use "ebony" to describe something deep, rich, and lustrous in color.
Are there variations of ebony wood?
Yes, while many ebonies are deep black, some have streaks or variations in color.
In which industries is the term "ebony" commonly found?
Ebony is frequently mentioned in woodworking, musical instruments, and sometimes fashion for its color.
Are there shades lighter or darker than black?
Black is the darkest color, but there can be shades and tints that vary in depth and intensity.
Does "black" have a specific cultural significance?
Yes, "black" can denote cultural, historical, or racial aspects, especially related to Black communities.
Is "black" limited to describing objects?
No, "black" has a broad range of applications, from describing objects to moods to historical periods.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
